The Sun's Gift
by Irina Hunter
Summary: Aria has lived her whole life in a tower, wanting to go outside. On the day before her birthday, a thief comes across her tower. An adventure ensues, and secrets are revealed. Or, Tangled with Hetalia characters. JapanxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !**

I'm baack! And I've got a new fic for all you lovely people! Plus, it's finished, so you get regular updates! I decided to post the first two chapters today because it's my birthday. You heard right, I'm posting two chapters at once! I know this has been done before, but I put the characters of Hetalia in the plot of Tangled.

 _ **Cast List**_

Rapunzel - Aria, my Ireland OC

Flynn/Eugene - Kiku Honda/Japan

Pascal - himself

Maximus - himself (kinda)

Gothel - Katya/2p!Ukraine

The captain of the guard - Arthur Kirkland/Britain/England

The Pub Thugs - themselves, though I've named the hook-handed thug and the big nose thug.

The Stabbington brothers - themselves, but I've named them.

The Queen - Devnet, my Britannia OC. Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

The King - Brannan, my Hibernia OC. Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

The name I gave the kingdom is Éire. It's pronounced Ay-reh (the first syllable rhymes with day), and is the Irish Gaelic name for Ireland.

Also, for this story, I'm giving Japan Flynn's personality. After all, in a different world, there's no guarantee that he'd have the same personality. I'm also using Flynn Rider as Kiku's alias.

 _"ITALICS" -_ Kiku's narration

 _'ITALICS' -_ thoughts

 _ **"BOLD ITALICS" -**_ singing

Thanks to pastaaddict, whose fic _Hetalia Tales 5: Tangled_ was a big help to me.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled. Sadly.

* * *

It was a beautiful summer day in the kingdom of Éire, and Kiku and his fiancé Aria, who happened to the princess of Éire, were enjoying it in the palace gardens. With them were their friends Feliciana, Lovina, Antonio, Ludwig, and Gilbert. Arthur – the captain of the guard, Amelia – Arthur's wife, Madeline - Amelia's sister, Elizabeta - Aria's lady-in-waiting, and Roderich - Elizabeta's husband and the court composer, were with them too.

Kiku was seated on the ground. The others were seated in front of him, except for Aria, who was seated next to him, her chameleon, whose name was Pascal, on her shoulder. Maximus, Aria's German shepherd, sat next to her.

"Hey Kiku, why don't you tell us a story?" Feliciana asked.

"Yes, tell us a story." Ludwig and Gilbert agreed.

"That's sound good to me." Antonio said.

"You actually tell good stories, so I'm okay with it." Lovina said, for once agreeing with her younger sister.

Arthur looked at Kiku. Arthur was Aria's younger brother and it was important to her that he got along with her fiancé. Much to Arthur's surprise, Kiku had become a good friend. And Kiku did tell good stories.

"I'm in." Arthur said.

"I suppose a story couldn't hurt." Roderich told Kiku.

"I'd love to hear a story!" Elizabeta exclaimed.

"A story would be wonderful." Madeline said. Aria and Amelia also agreed.

"Alright. What kind of story should I tell?" Kiku asked.

"One that most of us haven't heard before." Amelia answered.

"I know just the one." Kiku replied. Then he began his story

* * *

 _"This is the story of how I died. Don't worry, this is actually a very fun story, and the truth is, it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl named Aria, and it starts with the sun."_

 _"Now, once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. And from this small drop of sun grew a magical golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured."_

 _"An old woman named Katya discovered the flower while walking along a craggy hillside. You might want to remember her. She's kind of important."_

 _"Well, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom called Éire. The beautiful kingdom was surrounded by sparkling blue water, its gentle waves dappled by sunlit skies, and the island itself was rich both in good fortune and an easy harmony among its people. Éire was ruled by the beloved King Brannan and Queen Devnet."_

 _"The people of Éire had recently become especially joyful, as there was news that Queen Devnet was expecting a child. But all too soon, the joy came to an abrupt end. Word spread that the Queen was sick. Really sick. She was running out of time, and that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magical golden flower."_

 _"Ah, I told you Katya would be important. You see, instead of sharing the sun's gift, Katya hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years, and all she had to do was sing a special song."_ Taking off a camouflaged basket that made the flower look like a bush, Katya began to sing to the flower. As she sang, it glowed and she turned younger.

" ** _Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine…what once was mine."_**

 _"Alright, you get the gist. She sings to it, she turns young, creepy, right?"_ One night, as she was singing to the flower, Katya spotted a search party from the kingdom. As the kingdom's search party approached, Katya covered the flower with the camouflaged basket. As she fled, her green lantern knocked the basket over, revealing the flower. Two guards arrived.

"We found it!" yelled one of the guards. Katya watched from the shadows as they lifted the flower and its roots from the dirt.

 _"The magic of the golden flower healed the queen. A healthy baby girl, a princess was born, with beautiful golden hair._ _I'll give you a hint: that's Aria."_

As Aria lay in her bassinet, she looked up at a mobile with a sun at its center. Hanging from it were a duckling, a dog, a bluebird, a chameleon, and Cupid. Her parents smiled down at her as she giggled at them. King Brannan chuckled in response. Queen Devnet picked her daughter up and brought their faces together, laughing softly. King Brannan placed a beautiful crown made of gold with petal shaped diamonds on Aria's head. Aria laughed as it fell down around her ears.

 _"To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended."_

That night, Katya snuck into Aria's room. She moved silently to the bassinet where the baby princess slept, pushed the mobile out of her way, and looked down at Aria, praying that she was right. She began to sing.

 ** _"Flower, gleam and glow."_** Aria's hair began to glow.

 ** _"Let your power shine."_** Katya took a lock of the princess's hair in her hand. She could feel herself becoming younger. She then cut the lock of hair.

 ** _"Make the clock re…"_** Katya gasped in shock as the hair she cut and the lock it was cut from stopped glowing and turned red-gold. Katya became old again. She glared into the bassinet.

Woken by their daughter's crying, Brannan and Devnet ran to the nursery. They arrived only to catch a glimpse of Katya as she fled with Aria.

 _"Katya broke into the castle, stole the child and just like that – gone. The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the princess. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Katya raised the child as her own. Katya had found her new magic flower, but this time she was determined to keep it hidden."_

Every day, Katya would brush Aria's hair and sing. As the princess grew older, Katya taught her the song. Soon, it became routine for Katya to brush Aria's hair while Aria sang. One night, they sat by the fire as five-year-old Aria sang.

 ** _"_ _Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine…what once was mine."_**

Aria finished singing and Katya became young again as she brushed Aria's long glowing hair. "Why can't I go outside?" Aria asked Katya.

"The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people.

You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, flower?" Katya replied, still brushing Aria's hair.

"Yes, mommy." Aria answered.

That night Aria tiptoed down a staircase.

 _"But the walls of that tower could not hide everything."_ Her blonde hair trailed along the ground behind her as she hurried to a window, creeping past Katya's room. Aria opened the window and stared at the distant lights that floated in the sky. " _Each year, on her birthday, King Brannan and Queen Devnet released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day, their lost princess would return."_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

 _ **Pronunciation Guide**_

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh. The first syllable rhymes with day.

 _'ITALICS' -_ thoughts

 ** _"BOLD ITALICS"_** \- singing

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

On a windowsill, a green chameleon hid behind a painted pot, changing color to match the pot's decorations. _'She'll never find me here!'_ he thought. Just then, the window burst open, revealing Aria.

"Ha!" she exclaims. "Hmm, well, I guess Pascal's not hiding out here..." Aria said, pretending to walk away. Pascal snickered, feeling very pleased with himself. _'That was too easy!' Wait, that was too easy…'_ Pascal realized as he was grabbed by a lock of long blonde hair and brought face-to-face with an upside-down Aria.

"Gotcha!" Pascal screamed and turned green again. Aria righted herself. "That's twenty-two for me. How about twenty-three out of forty-five?" Aria asked him as she let him down. Pascal just frowned at his friend. Not even Katya knew this, but Aria could understand animals.

"Okay, well, what do you wanna do?" she asked, sitting down on the windowsill.

"I want to go out there." he told her, pointing outside with his tail. Aria picked Pascal up and placed him on her lap, hanging her feet out the window.

"Yeah, I don't think so. I like it in here and so do you." Aria told him. Pascal stuck out his tongue. Aria picked up Pascal.

"Oh, come on, Pascal, it's not so bad in there." she said as she went inside, her seventy feet of hair trailing behind her.

The tower made a small living space…it was tall but narrow. On the main level, there was a small kitchen, along with a living room that had a giant fireplace. The window through which Katya entered and exited the tower was off to one side. Katya slept in a bedroom on this cozy level of the tower.

Up a set of winding, wooden stairs was a small loft where Aria slept. Here she also had a box of paints, a guitar, and a little bed for Pascal.

Standing on a beam, Aria used her golden hair to pull a lever. The thick wooden shutters that covered the tower's peak burst open. The tower was flooded with sunlight, glittering specks of dust filling the air. Their day was about to begin - the day she would ask Katya to take her to see the sparkling lights.

Aria slid down her hair to the floor. Picking up Pascal, who was sitting on the clock, Aria began her chores, singing as she worked.

 ** _"_** ** _Seven a.m., the usual morning lineup. Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean."_** Aria swept into a dustbin held by Pascal. She got more dirt onto Pascal than in the dust pan though.

 ** _"_** ** _Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up."_** Wearing scrub brushes on her feet, Aria slid around as she mopped the floor. Then she did the laundry and dusted the metal candlesticks til they shined.

 ** _"_** ** _Sweep again, and by then it's, like, seven-fifteen."_** Aria swept the floor again, and then glanced at the clock. She sighed when she saw it now read seven-fifteen. _'I can't believe I did all that in fifteen minutes.'_ she thought.

 ** _"_** ** _And so I'll read a book or maybe two or three."_** Aria grabbed the three books off the bookshelf read through all them.

 ** _"_** ** _I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery."_** Using her hair the hoist herself up, Aria worked on a mural.

 ** _"_** ** _I'll play guitar and knit and cook and basically, just wonder when will my life begin?"_** She played guitar for a bit, and she knitted a scarf. As Aria brought a pie out of the oven, she stopped and looked at the decoration above the fireplace. After measuring the space with her thumb, she got out her paints and moved the decoration. Then she painted a new mural.

 ** _"_** ** _Then after lunch, it's puzzles and darts and baking."_** After she had lunch, Aria worked on a puzzle. When that was finished, she played darts for a little while before baking some more.

 ** _"_** ** _Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess."_** When the baking was done, Aria made a paper-mache replica of her head. Then she practiced ballet and played chess with Pascal.

 ** _"_** ** _Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making."_** Aria worked at her pottery wheel for a bit, then freaked Pascal out with her ventriloquy and made some candles.

 ** _"_** ** _Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb, sew a dress!"_** She stretched, added the floating lights to her new mural, climbed, and sewed a dress for Pascal, much to his displeasure.

 ** _"_** ** _And I'll re-read the books if I have time to spare."_** Having time to spare, Aria grabbed the books again and reread them.

 ** _"_** ** _I'll paint the walls some more, I'm sure there's room somewhere."_** She went to paint some more, only to find there were no blank spaces left.

 ** _"_** ** _And then I'll brush and brush and brush and brush my hair, stuck in the same place I've always been."_** Aria sat in the rafters as she finally finished brushing her seventy feet of hair.

 ** _"_** ** _And I'll keep wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering when will my life begin?"_** Then she came down and spun around the room, tossing her hair on the floor so that it formed a spiral around her. Aria leaned out the window.

 ** _"_** ** _Tomorrow night, the lights will appear,"_** Pascal climbed up Aria's shoulder and she looked at him.

 ** _"_** ** _just like they do on my birthday each year."_** Coming inside, she looks at the newly painted mural, which shows the lights glowing in the night sky.

 ** _"_** ** _What is it like out there where they glow? Now that I'm older, Mother might just let me go…"_** Aria adds herself to the scene, watching the lights from a hillside.

Flynn Rider slid down a slanted roof on the palace and crept around the edge of a spire. Two burly men, one with sideburns and one with any patch, followed close behind. They ducked as a guard marched in front of the palace. The guard left, and the handsome thief stared out at the kingdom.

"Wow! I could get used to a view like this." Flynn said.

"Rider! Come on!" the man with the sideburns hissed.

"Hold on." Flynn responded. "Yep, I'm used to it. Guys, I want a castle." Flynn told the other men.

"We do this job, you can get your own castle." The man with the sideburns said before grabbing Flynn by the collar. Using a rope, the burly men lowered Flynn into the room where the princess's crown was kept. Flynn quickly and quietly placed the crown in the satchel he'd brought, unnoticed by the guards, who weren't expecting a thief to come from above. Just then, one of the guards sneezed.

"Ugh. Hay fever?" Flynn asked the guard.

"Yeah." the guard replied, before realizing there was something wrong. Flynn was lifted into the air. "Huh?" The guard realized there'd been an intruder. "Wait! Hey wait!" the guard called, but Flynn had already made his exit.

"Can't you picture me in a castle of my own? Cause I certainly can. All the things we've seen, and it's only eight in the morning! Gentlemen this is a very big day!" Flynn said as the three men ran, making their escape.

"This is it. This is a very big day, Pascal." Aria says as she put her paints away. She closed the lid on the box of paints and Pascal climbed onto her arm. She chuckled. "I'm finally gonna do it. I'm gonna ask her." Aria told the chameleon excitedly. Pascal scampered onto Aria's left shoulder.

"Aria!" Aria gasped excitedly as Katya called her name from outside the tower. "Let down your hair!"

"It's time!" Aria told Pascal. Pascal straightened up. "I know, I know. Come on. Don't let her see you." she says as she placed Pascal on her mural and drew a curtain over it. Pascal changed color to blend in with the mural.

"Aria! I'm not getting any younger down here." Katya called up.

"Coming, Mother!" Aria responded as she hurried to the window. Stepping onto the windowsill, she tossed her hair over a large hook outside the window. It plummeted seventy feet down to Katya who caught the end. Katya made a loop with the hair and stepped into it. Aria strained, reeling in her hair hand over hand, slowly pulling Katya up to the window.

"Hi, welcome home, Mother." Aria greeted Katya, nearly out of breath.

"Uh, Aria! How you manage to do that every single day without fail! It looks absolutely exhausting, darling." Katya said as she stepped off the windowsill, setting down her basket and bag as she did so.

"Oh, it's nothing." Aria replied cheerfully.

"Then I don't know why it takes so long!" Katya said, tapping Aria's nose. Then Katya laughed. "Darling, I'm just teasing." Katya told Aria. Aria laughed nervously.

"Alright." Aria began, following Katya across the room. Katya took off her cloak and examined herself in the mirror. "So, Mother, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day…" Katya interrupted Aria as the girl stood next to her.

"Aria, look in that mirror." Katya said as she pulled Aria into a half hug. "You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady." Aria smiled as Katya complimented her.

"Oh, look, you're here too." Aria's smile fell. _'Can't Mother just once give me a compliment without wrapping up in an insult?'_ she wondered. Katya laughed. "I'm just teasing! Stop taking everything so seriously." she told Aria. Katya returned to examining herself.

"Okay, so Mother, as I was saying, tomorrow…" Aria started to say, but she was once again interrupted by Katya, who had found a small liver spot on her hand.

"Aria, mother's feeling a little run-down. Would you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk." Katya said.

"Oh! Of course, Mother." Aria replied. She set up an arm chair and placed a stool before it. She sat Katya in the chair, handed her a hairbrush, and sat on the stool, facing Katya. Placing some of her in hair in Katya's lap, Aria began to sing as fast as she could.

 ** _"_** ** _Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse."_**

"Wait!" Katya called, trying to catch Aria's attention, but Aria was concentrating on her song.

 ** _"_** ** _Bring back what once was mine."_**

"Wait!" Katya called again.

 ** _"_** ** _Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design."_** Katya started brushing Aria's hair as quickly as possible.

 ** _"_** ** _Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine."_** Aria finished the song.

"Aria!" Katya scolded. Aria ignored her and continued with what she'd been trying to say since Katya came in.

"So, Mother, earlier I was saying tomorrow's a pretty big day, and you didn't really respond, so I'm just gonna tell you, it's my birthday! Tada!" Aria said.

"No, no, no, can't be. I distinctly remember: your birthday was last year." Katya replied.

"That's the funny thing about birthdays. They're kind of an annual thing!" Aria told Katya before sitting on the stool. "Mother, I'm turning eighteen, and I wanted to ask, uh, what I really want for this birthday…actually what I've really wanted for quite a few birthdays now…" Aria mumbled the last part to herself.

"Aria, please, stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Katya moved her hand, opening and closing it like a mouth. "Blah-blah-blah-blah, it's very annoying!" Aria looked stricken by Katya's words.

"I'm just teasing, you're adorable, I love you so much, darling." Katya said as she pinched Aria's cheek. Katya stood up and walked across the room. Aria looked back at Pascal, who was hidden under the leg of a piece of furniture. He motioned for her to continue.

"I want to see the floating lights." Aria burst out.

"What?" Katya asked with a chuckle, pulling an apple out of a basket that was on a table by the stairs.

"Oh. Well, I was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights." Aria explained as she revealed a mural of herself watching the floating lights on a hillside.

"Oh, you mean the stars." Katya said, hoping to fool Aria.

"That's the thing." Aria illustrated her point by using her hair to open a small, circular window, parallel to which was a star map with the tower in the center. "I've charted stars, and they're always constant. But these, they appear every year on my birthday, Mother. _Only_ on my birthday. And I can't help but feel like they're… they're meant for me." Aria placed both hands on the mantle and looked up at her mural. She placed her right hand over her heart. "I need to see them, Mother. And not just from my window, in person. I have to know what they are." Aria told Katya.

"You want to go outside? Why, Aria!" Katya scoffed.

 ** _"_** ** _Look at you, as fragile as a flower._** Katya grabbed Aria's hands and spun her around.

 ** _"_** ** _Still a little sapling, just a sprout."_** she patted Aria on the head.

 ** _"_** ** _You know why we stay up in this tower."_** Katya spread her arms dramatically.

"I know but…" Aria began. Katya interrupted her.

 ** _"_** ** _That's right, to keep you safe and sound, dear."_** Katya said as she brought Aria's hair to her face.

 ** _"_** ** _Guess I always knew this was coming,"_** Katya closed the curtains.

 ** _"_** ** _knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest."_** Then she walked over to the stairs. Aria followed her.

"But…" Aria began.

 ** _"_** ** _Shh!"_** Katya quieted Aria.

 ** _"_** ** _Soon, but not yet. Trust me pet. Mother knows best."_** Katya closed the shutters that covered the tower's peak, plunging the tower into darkness. Aria lit a candle.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother knows best, listen to your mother, it's a scary world out there."_** Katya was suddenly in front of Aria, her fingers bent like claws. Aria screamed and backed away. Then, she felt something pulling on her hair.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother knows best, one way or another, something will go wrong I swear."_** Aria pulled against it and fell backwards only to be caught by Katya, who then lowered Aria to the ground and disappeared, leaving Aria in a patch of light.

 ** _"_** ** _Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand,"_** Shadows of the abovementioned things-except the quicksand-appeared near Aria on the floor.

 ** _"_** ** _Cannibals and snakes…"_** Katya flipped a doll in a frying pan. Then she appeared in front of Aria with a green lantern under her chin.

 ** _"_** ** _The plague!"_**

"No!" Aria said, horrified.

"Yes!" Katya told her.

"But…" Aria protested. Katya cut her off.

 ** _"_** ** _Also large bugs,"_** Katya placed the mop at the back of Aria's head, causing Aria to fall forward. She landed face to face with a picture of a man with pointy teeth.

 ** _"_** ** _Men with pointy teeth, and stop! No more, you'll just upset me."_** Katya dramatically placed one of her arms across her forehead, paintbrush still in her hand.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother's right here, Mother will protect you."_** Katya appeared in her cloak and pulled Aria, who was huddled with her hair wrapped around her, into a standing position.

 ** _"_** ** _Darling here's what I suggest…"_** Aria hugged Katya only to find it was a mannequin.

 ** _"_** ** _Skip the drama, stay with mama."_** Katya appeared on the stairs, which were lit with candles.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother knows best."_** She drew her cloak around her and vanished as the candles went out. Katya laughed as Aria nervously lit some candles.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother knows best. Take it from your mumsy_** , ** _on your own, you won't survive."_** Katya followed Aria, putting the candles out. Then she appeared behind the mirror.

 ** _"_** ** _Sloppy, underdressed,"_** Katya tilted the mirror so that Aria could see her feet.

 ** _"immature, clumsy,"_** Katya pulled Aria's hair, causing her to trip.

 ** _"_** ** _Please, they'll eat you up alive!"_** She rolled Aria up in her hair.

 ** _"_** ** _Gullible, naive, positively grubby,"_** Katya spun Aria so that she was no longer rolled up in her hair.

 ** _"_** ** _ditzy, and a bit, well, hmm vague."_** Katya rested Aria's head on her finger.

 ** _"_** ** _Plus, I believe, gettin' kinda chubby."_** Katya brought the back of her hand to Aria's chin three times.

 ** _"I'm just saying 'cause I wuv you_**. ** _"_** she told Aria as smashed their cheeks together.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother understands, mother's here to help you."_** Aria panicked as Katya disappeared again.

 ** _"_** ** _All I have is one request."_** Aria sighed in relief as she found Katya. She ran to give the other woman a hug. Katya stroked Aria's hair.

"Aria?" Katya asked.

"Yes?" Aria replied.

"Don't ever ask to leave this tower again." Katya told her sternly.

"Yes, Mother." Aria said obediently.

"Oh. I love you very much dear." Katya told Aria.

"I love you more." Aria replied.

"I love you most!" Katya said before kissing Aria on top of her head.

 ** _"_** ** _Don't forget it,"_** she told Aria as she tapped the girl on her nose.

 ** _"_** ** _you'll regret it."_** she patted Aria's head. Placing her hand on Aria's shoulder, Katya turned Aria around.

 ** _"_** ** _Mother knows best."_** As Katya backed away, she gently pulled Aria's hair horizontally.

"Ta-ta! I'll see you in a bit my flower." Katya said as she slid down Aria's hair.

"I'll be here." Aria muttered, leaning on the windowsill. Her hair fluttered in the breeze, matching a distant waterfall that plunged into the hidden valley where the tower stood.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

 _ **Pronunciation Guide**_

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh. The first syllable rhymes with day.

 _'ITALICS' -_ thoughts

 ** _"BOLD ITALICS"_** \- singing

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

At that very moment, Flynn Rider was running through the forest as fast as he could. Jacob and Wilhelm Stabbington, his partners in crime, ran with him. Resting against a tree to catch his breath, Flynn noticed a wanted poster of himself. Beneath it was a wanted poster of the Stabbington brothers.

"Oh no." Flynn frantically took his poster off the tree and studied it. "No no no no no, this is bad, this is very, very bad. This is really bad." Panting, the Stabbington brothers looked at Flynn. "They just can't get my nose right!" Flynn exclaimed, holding the poster next to his face.

"Who cares?" Jacob asked.

"Well it's easy for you to say." Flynn said, eying the brothers' poster. "You guys look amazing." Hearing horses, Flynn looked up. Led by the captain of the guard, a group of mounted palace guards looked down from a cliff. With them was a German shepherd. The highly trained and intelligent dog was as intent on catching the thieves as the guards themselves.

Stealing the princess's crown was no joking matter. The people still believed that their princess would return one day, and her crown must be ready for her. The royal guards would stop at nothing to get it back.

The guards spotted the thieves. Flynn stuffed his poster in his satchel as he and the Stabbingtons fled. Again they ran at top speed, but they soon found themselves trapped at the end of a ravine. The only way out was to climb the sheer walls.

"Alright. Okay," Flynn said, thinking fast, "give me a boost, and I'll pull you up."

"Give us the satchel first." demanded Jacob.

"Wah?!" Flynn exclaimed. "I just…I can't believe that after all we've been through together, you don't trust me?" Flynn said, pretending to be hurt. The twins just stared at him. "Ouch." Flynn said, dropping the act.

Flynn gave Jacob and Wilhelm the satchel. Jacob stood on Wilhelm's shoulders and Flynn began climbing over them. As he climbed up, he stole the satchel back, unnoticed.

"Now help us up, pretty boy." Jacob ordered Flynn, who'd reached the top of the wall.

"Sorry, my hands are full." Flynn grinned as he showed them the satchel before running off.

"What?" Jacob frantically searched himself for the satchel, hoping what he saw had been a trick. "Rider!" he yelled angrily when he realized Flynn had tricked him.

Flynn reached a path, barely keeping his balance as he turned right. The guards pursued him.

"Retrieve that satchel at any cost!" the captain ordered the men riding next to him

"Yes sir!" they replied. The German shepherd barked orders at the horses, who whinnied in reply.

As the guards fired arrows, Flynn slid under a fallen log and the arrows lodged in the wood. Flynn raced on, dodging more arrows. Reaching a knurled tree with a low, forked trunk, he leapt through the gap, landing safely on the other side. The horses were all brought to a stop, but the dog continued after Flynn.

"Go get him Maximus!" the captain ordered.

Maximus caught up to Flynn and snapped at the satchel. Flynn pulled the satchel away before Maximus could snatch it.

"No." Flynn told Maximus. Maximus continued to snap at the satchel. "No!" Flynn pulled the satchel closer to him. He pushed Maximus' head away.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Maximus managed to nip the satchel. "Give it to me!" Flynn pulls on the satchel, trying to get it away from Maximus. "Give me that!" Flynn yanked the satchel. It flew from his grip and landed on a twig at the far end of a tree that was rooted in the side of a cliff. Flynn jumped off Maximus and raced for the tree. Maximus passed Flynn. Flynn grabbed Maximus' front legs, pulling the dog down and gaining the lead again. Maximus nipped Flynn's boot, pulling Flynn down and reached the tree first. Flynn leapt over Maximus' head. Flynn clung to the underside of the tree. To Flynn's disbelief, Maximus followed him out onto the tree, trying to dig his claws into Flynn's hands. Evading the dog, Flynn crawled out and grabbed the satchel.

"Ha!" Flynn exclaimed triumphantly, showing the satchel to Maximus as he hung from the tree by one hand. Maximus glared at Flynn.

They froze as they heard a cracking sound. Maximus barked in alarm as the tree snapped and fell, taking Flynn and Maximus with it. Maximus and Flynn looked at each other and then looked down. Flynn screamed and Maximus howled as they saw a rock jutting out from the side of the cliff. The trunk hit the rock and snapped in two, separating Flynn and Maximus.

Landing in a glade, Maximus slid forward on his stomach and spit out grass. He sprang to his feet, looked around, and lowered his face to the ground. Nostrils flaring, he sniffed out a trail.

As Maximus passed a boulder, Flynn peeked out from behind it. The thief shouldered the satchel and leaned against a wall of ivy. He almost fell over.

"Uh!" There was nothing behind the hanging vines. Maximus barked. Flynn ducked behind the ivy into a cave. Maximus' silhouette leaped into view, showing on the leafy curtain. 'That dog is relentless!' Flynn thought as he held his breath for a moment. Maximus barked. Maximus looked around, then followed the scent away. Flynn ventured deeper into the cave. Coming out the other side, he slowed to a stop and stared.

Before him lay a beautiful valley. In the middle of the valley, a tall tower reached toward the sky. The ground was covered in lush, green foliage. A waterfall glimmered in the sunlight as it tumbled down the rocky walls surrounding the valley and fed a sparkling bright blue stream that wound past the tower's base.

Flynn looked over his shoulder as Maximus barked in the distance. Groaning, Flynn realized that he had to something to get away, something Maximus would never be able to do. Flynn raced to the tower. He pulled out some arrows and used them to climb. Groaning with effort, Flynn plunged arrow after arrow into the cracks in the tower's exterior, slowly making his way up. Eventually, Flynn reached the open window at the top of the tower. Scrambling inside, he shut then window. Then he peered into his satchel.

"Alone at last." he said, heaving a sigh of relief. At that moment, something hit Flynn in the back of his head. Then, his world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

 _ **Pronunciation Guide**_

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh. The first syllable rhymes with day.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

Aria stood over Flynn's unconscious body. She squealed and hid behind the mannequin. When Flynn didn't move, she crept up to his body again. She poked at him with the frying just to be sure he was out. Then she used it to turn him over. Aria turned to Pascal, who pointed to picture of the man with pointy teeth.

"Check to see if he has pointy teeth." he told her. Aria pulled back the man's lips, but his teeth were normal.

She turned to Pascal again.

"Now what should I do with him?" she asked. But Pascal just shrugged, not having an answer. Aria looked at the man, who was about her age. He had black hair. He was wearing a blue vest over a white shirt, tan pants, and brown boots. His satchel lay next to him.

"Huh?" the man said groggily as he opened his eyes, which, Aria noticed, were brown. Aria hit him with the frying pan again, knocking him out for the second time. She had to do something before he woke up again. _'Maybe I could lock him up in a place he could never escape from?'_ Aria thought. She then wrapped him in her hair and dragged him to the closet. First, Aria tried to push the man into the closet, but that didn't work. Then she tried swinging him into the closet using her hair, but her hair got caught. Aria tried pushing him in again, which worked this time, but he fell out on top of her. Using the broom to help, she pushed the man into the closet again, but four of his fingers were sticking out. Aria pushed them in one by one. Then she put a chair in front of the closet to keep it closed.

"Okay, okay, okay, I've got a person in my closet." Aria said out loud before repeating herself. "I've got a person in my closet." Aria looked in the mirror and repeated herself again as she realized what that could mean. "I've got a person in my closet!"

"Too weak to handle myself out there, huh, mother? Well, tell that to my frying pan." she said to her reflection as she twirled the frying pan around until it lightly hit her in the head.

Aria was rubbing her temple where the frying hit her when she noticed that the crown was sticking out of the satchel. Aria had no idea what it was. To her, it looked like a giant ring. She pulled it out and inspected it. She put it on her wrist. Pascal shook his head. It was much too big to be a bracelet. Aria looked through the diamonds. Pascal shook his head again. Aria then placed the object on her head. It fit perfectly and it felt like it belonged there. Aria and Pascal looked at her reflection in amazement before Pascal shook his head again. Suddenly, a voice came from outside the tower.

"Aria, let down your hair!" Katya called in a sing-song voice. Aria quickly tossed the crown and the satchel into a pot and hurried to the window.

"One moment Mother!" she called back as she placed her hair on the hook.

"I have a big surprise." Katya shouted cheerfully.

"Uh...I do too!" Aria answered as she let down her hair.

"Ooh, I bet my surprise is bigger!" Katya told Aria.

"I seriously doubt it." Aria whispered to herself.

"I brought back parsnips." Katya announced as she reached the windowsill. "I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner, your favorite. Surprise!"

"Well, Mother, there's something I want to tell you." Aria said

"Oh, Aria, you know I hate leaving you after a fight. Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong." Katya said as she hung up her cloak and brought the basket of parsnips over to the table.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier and..." Katya cut Aria off

"I hope you're not still talking about the stars." Katya told Aria.

"Floating lights," Aria said quickly, "and yes, I'm leading up to that but…" Katya interrupted her again.

"Because I really thought we'd dropped the issue sweetheart."

"No, Mother, I'm just saying, you _think_ I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there." Aria said as she approached the closet, ready to show Katya the man she'd captured.

"Oh darling, I _know_ you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there." Katya told her.

"But if you just…" Aria said, not wanting to quarrel with Katya, but definitely wanting her to stop talking and listen.

"Aria, we're done talking about this." Katya snapped.

"Trust me," Aria said, determined to go on with what she had to say.

"Aria…" Katya said warningly.

"I know what I'm…" Aria placed her hand on the chair.

"Aria…" Katya said in a dangerous tone.

"Oh, come on!" Aria said, exasperated.

"ENOUGH WITH THE LIGHTS, ARIA! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER! EVER!" Katya shouted. Katya groaned as she sat down. "Great. Now I'm the bad guy."

Glancing at the mural of the lights, and then at the closet, Aria came to a decision.

"All I was going to say, Mother, is that I know what I want for my birthday now." Aria told Katya.

"And what is that?" Katya asked.

"New paint. The paint made from the white shells you once brought me." Aria answered.

"That is a very long trip Aria. Almost three days' time." Katya reminded her.

"I just thought it was a better idea than the stars." Aria told Katya. Katya sighed as she got up.

"You're sure you'll be alright on your own?" she asked Aria, pulling her into a hug.

"I know I'm safe as long as I'm here." Aria answered. Katya kissed Aria on the top of her head. Aria packed a basket of food while Katya put on her cloak. Aria handed Katya the basket.

"I'll be back in three days' time. I love you very much, dear." Katya told Aria.

"I love you more." Aria responded.

"I love you most." Katya said before leaving.

At the entrance to the valley, Katya turned around and waved to Aria. Aria waved back. Then Katya entered the cave, disappearing from sight.

* * *

Once Katya had left the valley, Aria hurried over to the closet. She opened the closet and the man fell out, still unconscious. Quickly, Aria sat him on a chair. Then, she firmly tied him up with her hair. She dragged the chair into a patch of sunlight, then climbed into the rafters. Pascal, who was on the man's shoulder, smacked him to wake him up. Pascal then blended into the man's blue vest, but there was no response. Pascal then tried slapping the man with his tail, but he still didn't wake up. Finally, Pascal stuck his tongue in the man's ear. He woke up.

The man struggled to get free.

"Is this hair?" he wondered aloud after seeing it going all around the room.

"Struggling… struggling is pointless." Aria told him. She climbed down, still keeping to the shadows. "I know why you're here, and I'm not afraid of you." she told him.

"What?" the man asked, confused.

"Who are you? And how did you find me?" Aria asked as she slowly stepped into the light, frying pan in hand.

Flynn was now getting a better look at the young woman. She wore a light pink dress with a flowing skirt that reached the top of her feet, three quarter length sleeves with slightly puffy shoulders, and a bodice that laced up. It had lavender accents. On her feet were matching pink slippers. In her ears there were gold earrings shaped like cherry blossoms. Underneath her bangs, which went straight across, she had silver eyes framed by long, dark, thick lashes. Her red lips contrasted with her porcelain skin. Her hair was excessive, but it was a beautiful shining gold. _She_ was beautiful. _'What does she want from me?'_ he wondered. Flynn tried to be charming.

"I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say…Hi." Flynn raised an eyebrow and gave Aria a devilish grin. "How you doin'? The name's Flynn Rider. How's your day goin'? Huh?"

Aria had no idea what the man was trying to do, but he looked weird.

"Who else knows my location, Flynn Rider?" she asked.

"All right, Blondie…" Flynn began

"Aria." she corrected him.

"Gesundheit. Here's the deal. I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and…Oh! Oh no. Where is my satchel?" Flynn asked worridly once he noticed the satchel was missing.

"I've hidden it, somewhere where you'll never find it." Aria told Flynn. Flynn looked around the room for a few seconds before he turned to Aria.

"It's in that pot, isn't it?" he asked her, glancing at the satchel's hiding place. Aria hit him with the frying pan, knocking him out again. Looking at him, Aria wondered if she'd overreacted a bit. The frying pan was certainly handy for knocking people out. She lifted a loose board in the stairs and hid the satchel underneath it. Once again, Pascal stuck his tongue in Flynn's ear.

"Would you stop that?" Flynn yelled as he realized that Pascal's tongue was in his ear. He brought his ear to his shoulder, trying to wipe the chameleon saliva.

"Now it's hidden somewhere where you'll never find it." Aria told him. She paced around him, wrapping him ever more tightly in her hair. She was definitely more confident, having seen what the frying pan could do.

"So, what do want with my hair? To cut it?" she asked accusingly. "To sell it?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"No! Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is to get it get out of it. Literally." Flynn said.

"You... Wait. You don't want my hair?" Aria asked in disbelief. Katya had always said everyone would want her hair.

"Why on Earth would I want your hair?" Flynn asked. "I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it, end of story.

"You're telling the truth?" Aria asked.

"Yes!" Flynn answered. Pascal appeared from Aria's hair, ran down her arm and stood at the edge of the frying pan. He growled while he stared at Flynn. He made a motion with his tail for Aria to back away, never taking his eyes off Flynn. Aria did so and set the frying pan down. Then, she took Pascal in her hands and they had a conservation.

"He's from the outside." Pascal told Aria.

"I know. I need someone to take me." Aria whispered.

"I think he's telling the truth about not wanting your hair." Pascal said.

"I think he's he telling the truth too." Aria replied. "He doesn't have fangs."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Pascal asked. "He might not want your hair, but that still doesn't we can trust him."

"But what choice do I have?" Aria replied. She sighed. Placing Pascal on her right shoulder, Aria picked up the frying pan.

"Ok, Flynn Rider, I'm prepared to offer you a deal." Aria told him.

"Deal?" he asked.

"Look this way." she told him. Aria walked to the fireplace, her hair still wrapped around Flynn. His chair twirled like a spinning top before it fell forward and Flynn landed face down on the floor.

"Do you what these are?" she asked as she revealed the mural of the floating lights.

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" he asked, his voice a little muffled.

"Lanterns?" Aria gasped quietly. "I knew they weren't stars."

More confident than ever before, Aria presented her deal to Flynn.

"Well, tomorrow evening, they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal" she told him.

"Yeah." Flynn pushed himself so that he was on his side instead of face down. "No can do. Unfortunately, the kingdom and I aren't exactly 'simpatico' at the moment, so I won't be taking you anywhere." he told Aria. She looked at Pascal, who made a fist. Aria jumped down from the mantle and started pulling Flynn towards her.

"Something brought you here Flynn Rider." she said she pulled him towards her. "Call it what you will, fate, destiny…"

"A dog." Flynn cut in.

"…so I've made the decision to trust you."

"A horrible decision, really." Flynn told Aria.

"But trust me when I tell you this." she said, ignoring his interruption. She pulled the chair until it tilted forward, supporting it with one hand. "You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help, you'll never find your precious satchel."

Flynn cleared his throat.

"Let me just get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home, and you'll give me back my satchel?" he asked Aria.

"I promise." Ari answered. Flynn didn't look convinced. "and when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise. Ever." she told him. Pascal nodded in agreement.

"Look, I didn't want to have to do this, but you give no choice. Here comes the smolder." Flynn pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. Nothing happened. He waited for Aria to react.

"This is kinda an off day for me. This doesn't usually happen." he said, still waiting for Aria to react. "Fine, I'll take you to see the lanterns." he conceded once he realized Aria wasn't going to react.

"Really?" In her delight, Aria let go of the chair, and Flynn once more found himself face down on the floor. "Oops."

"You broke my smolder." Flynn wheezed from under the chair.

A little while later, Flynn was climbing down to the tower the same way he climbed up, using his arrows. Half way down, he looked up. Aria was standing in the window, clutching her frying pan.

"You coming Blondie?" he shouted at her.

 _ **"Look at the world so close, and I'm halfway to it!"**_ Aria stared out the window, feet on the edge of the windowsill and hair wrapped around the hook _**Look at it all so big, do I even dare?"**_ Aria looked back at the mural she'd painted of the lights. _**"Look at me, there at last! I just have to do it. Should I? No. Here I go…"**_ Aria placed the frying pan under her arm andPascal, who was sitting on Aria's shoulder, tied some of Aria's hair around his waist. Aria looked at Pascal, who gave her a thumbs up. She let her hair fall to the ground and slid down it, laughing. Gently, she touched the grass. _**"Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be!"**_ she lay down in the grass, absorbing the feel of it. Turning so that she lay on her stomach, Aria saw a dandelion that had gone to seed. " _ **Just feel that summer breeze, the way it's calling me."**_ The wind blew them away, and she chased them, taking her shoes off as stepped into the stream.

" _ **For like the first time ever, I'm completely free!"**_ She threw some water in the air. A bluebird flew next to her. Aria put her shoes back on and ran towards the cave that led outside the valley, picking up speed as she went. She raced theough the cave to the other side. " _ **I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing, and leaping, and bounding, hair flying, heart pounding, and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling…that's when my life begins!"**_ As she finished singing, a flock of bluebirds took flight.

"I can't believe I did this!" Aria exclaimed. "I can't believe I did this." she said guiltily. "I can't believe I did this!" she laughed. "Mother would be so furious." She reminded herself. "That's okay! I mean, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?" she asked herself as she sat on a rock in the middle of a pond and held a water lily. "Oh my gosh, this would kill her." she cried in a cave. "This is so much fun!" Aria shouted as she kicked a pile of leaves. "I am a horrible daughter. I'm going back." she said, head against a tree. "I am never going back!" she exclaimed as she did a few cartwheels before rolling down a hill and getting wrapped up in her hair. She giggled. "I am a despicable human being." Aria said as she lay face down in a patch of wildflowers. "Woo-hoo! Best. Day. Ever!" she yelled as used her hair like a swing. When Aria was done, she sat down with a rock to her back and cried, holding her head held in her hands. Flynn walked over to her.

"You know, I can't help but notice you seem a little at war with yourself here." he told her.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him as she stopped crying.

"Now, I'm only picking up bits and pieces: overprotective mother, forbidden road trip, I mean this is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure, that's good, healthy even. " Flynn said as he brushed Pascal off of his shoulder.

"You think?" Aria asked.

"I know. You're way over-thinking this, trust me. Does your mother deserve it? No. Would this break her heart and crush her soul? Of course! But you've just got to do it." he told Aria, hoping she'd want to return to the tower.

"Break her heart?" Aria repeated as a question.

"In half." Flynn replied, examing a berry he'd picked.

"Crush her soul?" she asked.

"Like a grape." he answered, crushing the berry.

"She would be heart broken, you're right." Aria realized.

"I am aren't I?" Flynn asked. "Oh bother. Alright, I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm letting out of the deal." he told her.

"What?" Aria asked.

"That's right, but don't thank me." Flynn said as retrieved Aria's frying pan and Pascal. "Let's just turn around and get you home. Here's your pan, here's your frog." he said, handing them to her. "I get back my satchel, you get back a mother-daughter relationship built on mutual trust, and voila, we part ways as unlikely friends." Flynn said, putting his arm around Aria and leading back towards the tower.

"No! I am seeing those lanterns." Aria said, breaking out of Flynn's hold.

"Oh come on! What does it take for me to get my satchel back?" he asked her.

"I will use this." Aria said, threatening Flynn with her frying pan. Suddenly, they heard something rustling in the bushes.

"Is it ruffians, thugs? Have they come for me?" Aria asked terrified as she leapt on Flynn's back, legs wrapped around him. A small, fuzzy rabbit leapt out of the bushes.

"Stay calm. It can probably smell fear." Flynn said dryly. Aria blushed a little. _'Ok, that was a little embarrassing.'_ she thought. "Oh!" Aria said, getting off of Flynn.

"Sorry. Gess I'm just a little bit…jumpy." she told him.

"It'd probably be best if we avoided ruffians and thugs then." he said, coming up with a new plan to get his satchel back. Aria chuckled self-consciously.

"Yeah, that'd probably be best." she agreed, chuckling self-consciously.

"Are you hungry?" Flynn asked Aria. "I know a great place for lunch.

"Where?" Aria asked.

"Don't worry, you'll know it when you smell it." Flynn replied.

* * *

In another part of the forest, Maximus was still sniffing around for Flynn's scent when he saw one of Flynn's wanted posters. Maximus lifted his paw and covered Flynn's nose before he ripped the poster off the tree and shredded it to tiny pieces. He wasn't used to failing in a chase, and he wasn't planning on it this time either. Maximus was the king's dog and he was determined to catch the man who's who'd made his master upset. He sniffed the air, trying to catch Flynn's scent. He looked for Flynn's footprints, knowing he would find them.

Suddenly, his ears perked up. There was a rustling sound in the bushes. The dog hid behind a bush. When the footsteps were close enough, he sprang out the bush, growling menacingly. He stopped when he saw it wasn't Flynn but a woman.

"A palace dog." Katya said, before realizing he was alone." "But where's your handler?" Maximus cocked his head. "Aria." Katya breathed. "Aria!" Katya quickly turned around and headed back to the tower to make sure Aria was safe.

 _'Strange woman.'_ Maximus thought before going back to his search.

Katya raced back to the tower.

"Aria! Let down your hair! Aria?" she called up to the window. But Aria didn't respond. Katya went to the back of the tower, where there was a hidden door. In a frenzy, she pulled away the vines and stones that blocked it. Katya burst through the hidden door in the floor. She looked around the tower, only to findAria wasn't in sight. "Aria?" she called as she pulled down the covers on Aria's bed to find it empty. "Aria!" Katya looked in the closet, but Aria wasn't in there. She tore the curtains covering the window down, letting light stream in.

Then she noticed a glint of light coming from under the stairs. Katya moved the loose board and pulled out the satchel. She opened it and pulled the crown. When she realized what it was, she dropped it. Then she pulled out the wanted poster. Katya placed the crown and wanted poster back in the satchel. Determined to get Aria back, she grabbed a dagger from the drawer before leaving the tower with the satchel.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

 **Pronunciation Guide**

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

As Katya frantically searched the forest for Aria, Flynn and Aria were approaching a small tavern.

"There it is! The Snuggly Duckling!" Flynn exclaimed.

Aria stared at the tavern. It appeared interesting. The wooden building was built into the side of a tree. It seemed as if the building and the tree had grown together and the tree had determined which way they'd grow. Having never seen any building but the stone tower, Aria thought it seemed perfectly natural that the wooden shingles and shutters would fit right into the tree. One wall went around a root, and the roof curved down under a limb. The tavern seemed wobbly all over.

Outside the tavern, there were horses. They seemed gentle. Aria wasn't too frightened of them, but she wondered why they were tied up to a fence.

"Don't worry, it's a very quaint place, perfect for you." Flynn told her. "We don't want you getting scared and giving up on this whole endeavor do we?"

"Well, I do like ducklings." Aria responded.

"Who doesn't?" Flynn asked brightly. Then he put his arm around Aria and led her into the tavern.

"Garçon, your finest table please!" Flynn said as they entered the tavern.

A silence came over the room as Aria and Flynn entered. Ari gasped as she saw that the pub was filled with ruffians and thugs.

"You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose." Flynn said with a sniff.

"Really let that seep in." They stepped further into the tavern, Flynn steering Aria, who had her frying pan defensively in front of her. "What are you getting? Because to me, that's part man-smell, and the other part is really bad man-smell. I don't know why, but overall it just smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?" he rambled on. Aria gasped as one the thugs grabbed her hair. She gathered some of her hair in her arms, and ran.

"That's a lot of hair." he said.

"She's growing it out." Flynn told the thug. "Is that blood in your mustache? Goldie, look at this. Look at all the blood in his mustache." He called to Aria.

"Good sir, that's a lot of blood." he said to the thug. He then walked over to Aria, who still had her frying pan out in front her defensivly."Hey, you don't look so good, Blondie. Maybe we should get you home. Call it a day. Probably be better off. This is a five star joint after all, and if you can't handle this place, well, maybe you should be back in your tower." he told Aria, leading her towards the door. They'd almost made it through the door when it slammed shut in front of them. One of Flynn's wanted poster was slapped on the door.

"Is this you?" the large thug with a horned hat who was holding the poster and the door asked Flynn. Flynn moved the man's index finger, to find he'd been drawn with a long nose.

"Now they're just being mean." he said.

"Oh it's him alright." said a thug with a hook hand. "Greno, go find some guards." Greno left. "That reward's gonna buy me a new hook." the hook-handed thug told Flynn.

"I could use the money." a thug whose face was hidden by a helmet said, grabbing Flynn.

"What about me? I'm broke." The large thug with the horned hat said, pulling Flynn towards him. Soon everyone was pulling at Flynn.

"Please, stop!" Aria tried to get the thugs to leave Flynn alone.

"We can work this out!" Flynn told the thugs, but they weren't listening.

"Please, leave him alone!" Aria tried again to help Flynn.

"Gentlemen, please!" Flynn cried out as one of his arms was twisted behind his back and his knee was jammed into a table.

"Give me back my guide! Ruffians!" Aria said as she started hitting one of the thugs in the back with her frying pan. It was useless.

"Not the nose, not the nose, not the nose!" Flynn chanted with a worried face. Aria looked around. It was time to take action! She wrapped her hair around an antler that was mounted to the wall, and pulled it down, hitting the hook-handed thug on the head. The fighting stopped.

"Put him down!" she yelled. The thugs all looked at her. "I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?" she ranted. The thug with the horned hat placed Flynn on a hook in the wall. The hook-handed thug, who was named Garrett, walked over to Aria, axe in hand.

"I had a dream once." He flung his axe, narrowly avoiding a nervous accordion player who then began to play.

" _ **I'm malicious, mean and scary."**_ he sang, placing his hands on his hips. _ **"My sneer could curdle dairy."**_ Garrett pointed at to his face while giving her a demonstration of his snare. _ **"And violence-wise, my hands are not the cleanest. But despite my evil look, and my temper and my hook,"**_ Garrett pulled another thug with a big nose out of his way. _**"I've always yearned to be a concert pianist!"**_ He then climbed the small stage and began playing the piano. _**"Can'tcha see me on the stage performin' Mozart? Tickling the ivories 'til they gleam?"**_ Some of the piano's white keys came flying off. Aria blocked them with her frying pan. _**"Yep, I'd rather be called deadly for my killer show-tune medley. –Thank you!"**_ Garrett said to the thugs in the audience. _ **"Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream!"**_

" _ **He's got a dream!"**_

" _ **He's got a dream!"**_

" _ **See, I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem! Though I do like breaking femurs, you can count me with the dreamers Like everybody else, I've got a dream!"**_ Garrett sang. Then, as Katya approached the tavern, the thug with a big nose, whose name was Jeffery, decided to share his dream.

" _ **I've got scars and lumps and bruises, plus something here that oozes.**_ He sang, showing Aria a spot on the underside of his arm. _ **And let's not even mention my complexion. But despite my extra toes,"**_ Jeffery showed Aria his extra toes. _ **"and my goiter and my nose, I really want to make a love connection."**_ He handed Aria a daisy. _**"Can't you see me with a special little lady, rowing in a rowboat down the stream?"**_ Jeffery used a bucket as a boat and pretended to row it. A short old man with a parasol, nicknamed Shorty, filled in for the girl. " _ **Though I'm one disgusting blighter, I'm a lover, not a fighter. 'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream!"**_ Jeffery hoisted Shorty, who was dressed as Cupid, up on a pulley system. Then, he pushed Shorty so that Shorty flew around the room. _**"I've got a dream!"**_

" _ **He's got a dream!"**_

" _ **I've got a dream!"**_

" _ **He's got a dream!"**_

" _ **And I know one day romance will reign supreme! Though my face leaves people screaming, there's a child behind it dreaming. Like everybody else, I've got a dream!"**_ Jeffery sang.

" _ **Thor would like to quit and be a florist."**_ One of the thugs, Thor, demonstrated his flower arranging skills.

" _ **Gunther does interior design."**_ Gunther also demonstrated his skills.

" _ **Ulf is into mime, Attila's cupcakes are sublime."**_ Ulf performed a pantomime and Attila, who was the thug whose face was hidden, let Aria try one of his cupcakes.

" _ **Bruiser knits, Killer sews,"**_ Bruiser knitted a sock while Killer mended Bruiser's shirt.

" _ **Fang does little puppet shows."**_ Fang put a puppet show for Aria and the other thugs. _ **  
**_

 _ **"And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns."**_ Garrett sang. Vladimir, the large thug with the horned hat, smiled as he gently brought two unicorn figurines together. They made a soft dinging sound.

"What about you?" Garrett asked Flynn.

"I'm sorry, me?" Flynn asked, confused.

"What's your dream?" Jeffery asked him, lifting Flynn off of the hook and setting him on the floor.

"No, no, no. Sorry boys, I don't sing." Flynn told them. The thugs all pointed their weapons at Flynn.

" _ **I have dreams, like you, no, really. Just much less touchy-feely."**_ Flynn sang as he danced across the table top. _ **"They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny."**_ He leaned against Vladimir for a moment, then took one of Vladimir's figurines. _ **"On an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone…"**_ Flynn placed the unicorn on top of a sponge that was half submerged in a pot of soapy water. He was then grabbed by the thugs who threw him in the air. _ **"surrounded by enormous piles of money!"**_

" _ **I've got a dream!"**_ Aria sang, joining in the song.

" _ **She's got a dream!"**_

" _ **I've got a dream!"**_

" _ **She's got a dream!"**_

" _ **I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam! And with every passing hour,"**_ Katya approached one of the tavern's windows and saw Aria standing on top of a table, singing. _ **"I'm so glad I left my tower. Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream!"**_ Aria was lifted off the table.

" _ **She's got a dream!"**_

" _ **He's got a dream!"**_

" _ **They've got a dream!"**_

" _ **We've got a dream!"**_ The thugs threw barrels back and forth.

" _ **So our diff'rences ain't really that extreme–we're one big team…"**_ Flynn was grabbed and placed on a loose floorboard. Vladimir was given a thumbs up, and stepped on the floorboard causing Flynn to fly across the room. Flynn landed doing a handstand while holding on to the horns of Vladimir's hat. Vladimir shook Flynn off after a moment.

" _ **Call us brutal, sick,"**_ Flynn landed on a barrel.

" _ **Sadistic"**_ The barrel was kicked by a thug, and started to roll.

" _ **And grotesquely optimistic"**_ Flynn rolled through a line of fire juggling thugs.

" _ **Cause way down deep inside we've got a dream!"**_

" _ **I've got a dream!"**_ Some of the thugs spun around on the chandelier.

" _ **I've got a dream!"**_ Attila danced.

" _ **I've got a dream! I've got a dream! I've got a dream!"**_

" _ **I've got a dream!"**_ One of the thugs flipped out of a window.

" _ **Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"**_

" _ **Yes way down deep inside, I've got a dream!"**_ Garrett and Jeffery placed Aria back on the table top. At that moment, Greno burst in

"I've found the guards!" he exclaimed.

Flynn grabbed Aria and ran, hiding behind the bar. The captain of the guard pushed Greno out of the way.

"Where's Rider? Where is he?" he demanded. "I know he's in here somewhere. Find him. Turn the place upside down if you have to!" The captain said to the other guards. Flynn cautiously peaked over the bar, and saw more guards bring the Stabbington brothers in. He gasped and quickly hid again. Garrett placed his hook on Flynn's shoulder. He showed them to a hidden escape tunnel.

"Go. Live your dream." Garrett said.

"I will." Flynn answered.

"Your dream stinks. I was talking to her." Garrett told Flynn, gesturing to Aria with his head. Flynn started into the tunnel.

"Thanks for everything." Aria told Garrett. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before following Flynn. The door closed behind them and Aria and Flynn were suddenly gazing into a long, dimly lit passageway.

Inside the tavern, the guards were continuing their search.

"I believe this is the man you're looking for." Vladimir told the captain, holding Shorty in one hand and the wanted poster in the other.

"You got me!" Shorty slurred, putting his arms out.

"Sir, there's no sign of Rider." one of the guards reported from the stairs.

At that moment, Maximus came bursting through the door. He sniffed the ground before standing on his hind legs and pushing aside a couple of thugs.

"What's he doing?" the guard standing next to the captain asked. The captain placed his hand over the guard's mouth. With a bark, Maximus pawed at the bar. The captain shook his head, not getting what the dog was trying to say. Maximus snorted and pushed a lever with a duckling on it, opening the passage.

"A passage! Come on men. Let's go!" the captain said. "Conli, make sure those boys don't get away." Conli nodded and the guards disappeared into the tunnel. The Stabbington brothers quickly knocked out Conli.

"Play it safe?" Jacob asked as his twin used Conli's spear to free him. Then, he used the spear to free his brother. "Or go get the crown?" Smiling evilly, they headed towards the tunnel.

Outside the tavern, Katya was still watching. She knew that patience would always bring her the greatest reward. So she watched…and waited. Eventually, Shorty came stumbling out the door, singing drunkenly. He stopped when he saw Katya.

"Oh! Somebody get me a glass! Because I just found me a tall drink of water." he said.

Oh, stop it you big lug." Katya said, laughing. Shorty laughed too. Then Katya pulled out her dagger. "Where does that tunnel let out?"

"Knife!" Shorty said.

Inside the tunnel, Flynn led the way as he and Aria made their escape. Pascal sat on Aria's shoulder.

"Well, I've got to say, didn't know you had that in you back there. That was pretty impressive." he told Aria.

"I know!" she said excitedly. "I know." she repeated more calmly. "So Flynn, where are you from?" Aria asked, wanting to know her companion better.

"Whoa! Sorry, Blondie, I don't do back-story. However, I am becoming very interested in yours. Now I, I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair.

"Nope." she replied.

"Or the mother." he continued.

"Uh-uh." she said.

"Frankly I'm too scared to ask about the frog." Flynn told Aria.

"Chameleon." she corrected him.

"Nuance." he responded. "Here's my question though; if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?" he asked her.

"Uh…" Aria chuckled nervously. "Well…" Before she could continue, the ground started to shake. "Uh Flynn?" she called nervously as the guards raced around the corner.

"Run!" he told her. Aria gathered her hair in her arms and did as Flynn said. They dashed down the tunnel to the end of the passageway. It opened out outside. They were standing on a cliff overlooking a ravine. Nearby was a wooden dam holding back a vast amount of water. The Stabbington brothers came crashing out of a boarded up tunnel.

"Who's that?" Aria asked.

"They don't like me." Flynn told her. The palace guards appeared from behind them.

"Who's that?" Aria repeated her question.

"They don't like me either." Flynn answered. Maximus appeared behind the palace guards, barking fiercely.

"Who's that?" Aria asked for the third time.

"Let's just assume for the moment that everyone in here doesn't like me!" Flynn said exasperatedly.

"Here." Aria said as she handed Flynn her frying pan. Then she lassoed her hair around a wooden beam and swung over the ravine. Flynn looked behind him and saw the palace guards were advancing, swords drawn.

"I've waited a long time for this." the captain said as he advanced towards Flynn. Flynn used the frying pan to block the guards' attacks. Soon, the guards were all in a pile, unconscious.

"Oh, mama! I have got to get one of these!" Flynn exclaimed. Then he saw Maximus, who was holding a sword in his mouth. Maximus went on the attack.

"You should know that this is the strangest thing I have ever done!" Flynn told Maximus as he blocked Maximus' attacks with the frying pan. Then Maximus disarmed arm Flynn and the frying pan fell to the bottom of the ravine. "How about two out three?" Flynn asked Maximus. Maximus pointed the sword at Flynn's throat.

"Flynn!" Aria called as the threw a loop of hair over Flynn's hand. Flynn And Maximus stared at Flynn's hand for a moment. Then Flynn caught on to what Aria was doing. Flynn saluted Maximus as Aria pulled him off the cliff. noticed something down there that Flynn was approaching.

"Flynn! Look out!" she called. The Stabbingtons were waiting for him with swords drawn. Aria pulled her hair higher in hopes that he wouldn't get stabbed. The Stabbingtons' attack missed.

"Ha!" Flynn shouted to the Stabbingtons. "You should see your faces 'cause you look…" But he was interrupted as he hit the side of a wooden aqueduct, which cut off his air supply. "…ridiculous." he finished, gasping for breath.

Hearing a thudding sound, Aria looked and saw Maximus knocking down a beam to serve as a bridge. This cased the dam to leak.

"Come on Blondie! Jump!" Flynn, who was now standing on a water drain and holding some of Aria's hair, called as Maximus crossed the makeshift bridge, followed the guards who were conscious. Aria took a deep breath and jumped, her hair narrowly avoiding Maximus' teeth. She swung under the aqueduct and slid to a stop, Pascal gripping her shoulder tightly. Flynn let go of Aria's hair and slid down the aqueduct after her. Aria gathered up her hair and ran, the Stabbingtons chasing after her.

As Flynn slid down the chute, it began to fall apart, but he made it safely to the ground. He joined Aria and picked up the trailing end of her hair while they ran. Then the dam burst. A wave water washed over Maximus, the guards, and the Stabbington brothers. Flynn and Aria ran, trying to stay ahead of the water. The water caused a pillar of rock to crack. Taking one last leap, Aria and Flynn made it to a cave just as the pillar of rock hit the ground. Flynn grabbed the frying pan just as an avalanche of rocks blocked the entrance.

Water began to fill to cave. Flynn dove underwater, looking for an exit. Aria started looking for an exit above the water while Pascal clung to a rock. When Flynn surfaced, he joined her. He gasped in pain when he cut his hand on a rock as searched for an opening. He dove again.

"It's no use." he told Aria as he surfaced. "I can't see anything." They were now waist deep in water, and it was rising quickly. Aria dove underwater, but Flynn quickly pulled her back to the surface.

"There's no point. It's pitch black down there." he told her. Now the water was to their chests.

"This is all my fault." Aria said dejectedly. "She was right, I never should have done this." Aria sniffled. "I'm so… I'm so sorry, Flynn." she sobbed. The water was almost up to their shoulders now.

"Kiku." he said.

"What?" Aria asked, confused.

"My real name is Kiku Honda. Someone might as well know. " he elaborated. Aria chuckled softly.

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Aria confessed.

"What?" asked Kiku in disbelief.

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Aria repeated as she had an idea. _**"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…"**_ she sang as the water reached their necks and she and Kiku were forced to go underwater. After a moment of darkness, Aria's hair glowed as she finished the song in her mind. Pascal was in her hair. Forgetting to hold his breath, Kiku gasped in shock. Aria noticed a small opening which she and Kiku made bigger. They broke through, and the water burst through the opening, carrying Aria and Kiku out into the river. Gasping for air, Aria, Kiku, and Pascal pulled themselves onto the riverbank.

"We made it." Aria choked out.

"Her hair glows." Kiku was still shocked.

"We're alive. I'm alive!" Aria said joyfully.

"I didn't see that coming." Kiku told Pascal.

"Kiku." Aria tried to get his attention.

"Her hair actually glows." Kiku continued talking to Pascal, ignoring Aria.

"Kiku." Aria tried again.

"Why does her hair glow?" Kiku asked Pascal.

"Kiku!" Aria shouted, finally getting his attention

"What?" he asked.

"It doesn't just glow." she told him as she dragged her hair out of the water.

"Why is he smiling at me?" Kiku asked, noticing the way Pascal was looking at him.

Meanwhile, Katya was waiting where the tunnel let out, dagger in hand. Instead of Aria and Kiku however, it the Stabbington brothers who exited the tunnel.

"I'll kill him. I'll kill that Rider!" Jacob said angrily to Wilhelm. "We'll cut him off at the kingdom and get back the crown. Come on!"

"Or…perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment." Katya said, showing them the satchel. The Stabbington brothers drew their swords and prepared to fight her for the satchel.

"Oh please, there's no need for that." Katya scoffed. She threw them the satchel. They started jostling each other, both wanting to be the one to hold the satchel. They chuckled when Jacob removed the crown.

"Well, if that's all that you desire then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth a thousand crowns, would have made you rich beyond belief and that wasn't even the best part, oh well, _c'est la vie_. Enjoy your crown." Katya turned to leave.

"What's the best part?" Jacob asked her.

"It comes with revenge on Flynn Rider." she told him, holding up the wanted poster. The Stabbington brothers smirked.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

 _ **Pronunciation Guide**_

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh. The first syllable rhymes with day.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

"So, you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand." Kiku said as Aria wrapped her hair around his hand while they sat on a tree root beside the campfire they'd started in a small clearing by the riverbank. He groaned as she wrapped it a little too tightly.

"Sorry." Aria apologized. "Just don't…don't freak out." she told Kiku. She sighed, and then bean to sing. _**"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine."**_ Pascal held up a hand. Kiku looked around, his eyes wide. He wasn't going to lie to himself. He was kind of freaked out. _**"Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine…"**_ Pascal nodded at Kiku. _**"…what once was mine."**_ Once Aria had finished singing, Kiku unwrapped his hand and looked at it. He wasn't prepared for what he saw. His hand was fine. It wasn't cut open. Kiku showed Aria and whimpered, a scream building in the back of his throat. He stared at it, his eyes widening by the second. He found it harder to breathe without gasping each time. Finally, his scream was at the entrance of mouth.

"Please, don't freak out!" Aria said hurriedly.

"I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out? No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses. How long has it been doing that exactly?" Kiku said, controlling himself.

"Forever I guess." Aria answered. "Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But, once it's cut, it turns red-gold and loses its power." She showed Kiku a strand of red-gold hair tucked away among the blonde. "A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why mother never let me…" she sighed before trying again. "That's why I never left the..."

"You never left that tower." Finally understanding, Kiku finished her sentence. The revelation both shocked him and made him want to protect her. "And you're still gonna back?" he asked.

"No!" Aria replied. Then she said, "Yes. Ugh!" Aria buried her face in her hands. "It's complicated." she decided to change the subject.

"So, Kiku Honda, huh?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Well. I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Kiku Honda, it's a little bit of a…that's a little bit of a downer." he told Aria. She scooted closer to him, wanting to know more.

"There was this book, a book I used to read every night to all the younger kids – _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_. Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies, either. Not that he would brag about it, of course."

"Was he a thief too?" Aria asked.

"Uh… well, no. Actually, he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And, and, and for a kid with nothing, I don't know, I…it just seemed like a better option." Aria chuckled. "You can't anyone about this ok? It could ruin my whole reputation." he told her.

"Ah. We wouldn't want that." Aria said.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has." Kiku replied. They sat there in silence a bit before Kiku cleared his throat. " Well, I should, um…I, I should… I should get some more firewood." he said.

"Hey." Aria said as Kiku got up. Kiku turned around to face her. "For the record, I like Kiku Honda much better than Flynn Rider."

"Well, then you'd be the first. But thank you." he told her before leaving the clearing. Aria watched him go with a smile.

"Well, I thought he'd never leave!" Katya said from behind Aria. Aria froze for a moment before turning around.

"Mother?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hello dear." Katya replied. Pascal, who was sitting next to Aria, blended in with the tree root.

"But I, I, I, I don't, uh…" Aria stammered. "How did you find me?" she finally asked as Katya pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, it was easy really. I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that." Katya replied. Aria sighed.

"Mother…" Katya pulled away from Aria.

"We're going home Aria. Now." Katya began to lead Aria away.

"You don't understand. I've been on this incredible journey and I've seen and learned so much. I even met someone." Aria told Katya.

"Yes, the wanted thief, I'm so proud." Katya said sarcastically. "Come on Aria."

"Mother wait." Aria said. "I think…I think he likes me."

"Likes you?" Katya repeated. It was ridiculous for Aria to think that the thief could be fond of her, the unworldly child. "Please, Aria, that's demented!" she told Aria.

"But mother, I…" Aria protested.

" _ **This is why you never should have left. This romance that you've invented only proves you're too naïve to be here."**_ Katya said, placing her head on Aria's shoulder. _**"Why would he like you? Come on now, really."**_ Katya took Aria's hands and spun her around. _**"Look at you! You think that he's impressed?"**_ she took some of Aria's hair in each hand before dropping it and walking away. _**"Don't be a dummy, come with mummy. Mother…"**_

"No!" Aria said forcefully.

"No?" Katya repeated, surprised by Aria's refusal. _**"Oh. I see how it is.**_

 _ **Aria knows best. Aria's so mature now. Such a clever grown-up miss."**_ Katya walked over to Aria and patted her head.

" _ **Aria knows best. Fine, if you're so sure now, go ahead, then give him this!"**_ Katya held out the satchel.

"How did you…?" Aria asked, stunned. Katya took out the crown.

" _ **This is why he's here! Don't let him deceive you!"**_ Katya tossed the crown to Aria. _ **"Give it to him, watch, you'll see!"**_

"I will!" Aria said defiantly.

" _ **Trust me, my dear,"**_ Katya said with a snap of her fingers. _**"that's how fast he'll leave you. I won't say I told you so!"**_ she wrapped the satchel around Aria. _**"No, Aria knows best! So if he's such a dreamboat, go and put him to the test."**_

"Mother, wait…" Aria called as Katya walked away. When Katya reached the edge of the clearing, she turned around.

" _ **If he's lying, don't come crying… Mother knows best!"**_ With that, Katya disappeared.

"So…hey uh… can I ask you something?" Not long after Katya left, Aria heard Kiku's voice as he returned with firewood. "Is there any chance that I'm gonna get super strength in my hand because I'm not gonna lie. That would be stupendous." Kiku said as he entered the clearing. Aria was standing with her back towards him. "Hey, you alright?" he asked Aria, noticing how quiet she was.

"Oh!" Aria turned around, acting as if she'd just noticed him. "Sorry, yes. Just lost in thought, I guess." she replied. Kiku bought it.

" I mean because here's the thing," he said, setting the firewood down. "superhuman good looks, I've always had them. Born with it. But superhuman strength? Can you imagine the possibilities of this?" he asked, not aware that Aria had hidden his satchel in and old tree stump.

Meanwhile, The Stabbington brothers were hiding in the woods with Katya, watching Kiku and Aria. They wanted to grab Kiku, Aria, and the crown then and there, but Katya held them back.

"Patience boys. All good things to those who wait." she told them.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

 _ **Cast List**_

Mei - Taiwan

Lili - Liechtenstein

Wendy - Fem!Sealand

Michelle - Seychelles

 ** _Pronunciation Guide_**

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh. The first syllable rhymes with day.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

As the sun rose over the clearing, Aria and Kiku were fast asleep. Kiku was woken up by water dripping on his face. He looked up to Maximus standing over him, teeth bared and dripping wet.

"Well, I hope you're here to apologize." Kiku said before trying to go back to sleep.

Aria was awakened by Kiku's screams. Looking around, she saw Maximus and Kiku.

"No, no, no, put me down! Let me go! Let–me–go–!" Kiku yelled as Maximus dragged him away by the foot. Aria rushed over to help. She grabbed Kiku's arms started a tug-of-war with Maximus.

"Give me him!" Aria ordered Maximus. They dog didn't listen. The tug-of-war continued until Kiku's foot came out of his boot, which sent Kiku and Aria sprawling one way, and Maximus, who still had the boot, another. Maximus looked at the shoe in his mouth, growled, got back up and charged at Kiku, but he was blocked by Aria.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, boy, easy! Settle down!" Aria said as continued to block Maximus. "Whoa, whoa! Easy, boy, easy. Easy." Maximus finally settled down. "That's it." Aria said soothingly. Maximus just looked at Aria, finding something familiar about her.

"Calm down." Pascal told Maximus from his perch on Aria's head.

"Now sit." Aria ordered Maximus. Maximus squatted, but didn't sit all the way. "Sit!" she said more firmly. Maximus sat.

"What?" asked Kiku, not believing that the dog was actually listening to Aria.

"Drop the boot." was Aria's next order. Once again, Maximus didn't immediately obey. "Drop it!" Aria pointed to the ground. Maximus finally dropped the boot. "Aw. You're such a good boy!" Aria said affectionately, making the dog wag his tail. She started to pet him. "Yes, you are!" Then she put on a pouty face and squatted down next to the dog. "You all tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?" Maximus nodded.

"Excuse me?" Kiku asked. He couldn't believe Aria was taking the dog's side. Aria ignored him.

"Nobody appreciates you, do they?" Aria hugged the dog. Maximus simply put on a sad face. "Do they?" Aria repeated.

"No, they don't." Maximus agreed.

"Oh, come on!" Kiku said from where was sitting against a tree. "He's a bad dog!" But Aria faced him, still petting Maximus' head.

"Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart." Maximus barked playfully at Aria, who then scratched his neck getting him to look up. "Isn't that right…" She looked at the collar and read his name. "Maximus?"

"You've got to be kidding me." said Kiku. Maximus just glared at him.

"Look, today is kind of the biggest day of my life," Aria told Maximus. She looked at him for a second then reached over to Kiku and walked him over to Maximus. "and the thing is, I need you _not_ to get him arrested." Maximus huffed. "Just for twenty-four hours, and then you can chase each other to your hearts' content. Ok?" Kiku took a deep breath and held out his hand to make a deal with the idiotic dog. Maximus simply looked at his hand and immediately turned away. "And it's also my birthday, just so you know." Aria added, trying to get the dog to give in. And soon, Maximus did. He faced Kiku and held out his paw to shake. They shook on it, neither one letting go. Aria pushed past them, and Maximus punched Kiku in the stomach.

It was the beginning of a perfect day, Aria thought. And just when she was sure it couldn't get any better, the bells of the kingdom began to ring in the distance. Aria darted to the crest of a large hill, following the sound of the bells.

In front of her lay Éire, and it was more beautiful than she could ever have imagined. Bordered by a body of crystal-blue water, an elegant palace sparkled in the sun, flags flying from its many spires. A town of lovely stone and wood cottages and small bridges was nestled at its base. Aria couldn't wait. Today she would visit Éire-and later, see those lights at last.

As they crossed the bridge into Éire, Aria turned and smiled at Kiku. Pascal rode on her shoulder. Noticing one of his wanted posters, Kiku crumpled it up, only to find Maximus glaring at him. He shoved the crumpled poster in Maximus mouth and chuckled contentedly. Maximus spit the poster out so that it covered Kiku's face. Kiku shoved it at Maximus. This lead to a shoving war that was interrupted by a squeak from Pascal. The chameleon, who was now on Aria's head, gestured that he was watching them. Maximus and Kiku shoved each other one more time before stopping.

As they entered the town, Aria looked around with wonder. The streets were lined with small purple flags that had a sun on them. People were everywhere, talking, shopping, hanging out their laundry, and all sorts of other chores and errands. Everywhere Aria looked, she saw the bustle of life and laughter. It was absolutely enchanting. She could smell cakes and breads baking. Up ahead, she saw beautiful fabrics and baskets hanging from market stalls. Aria wanted to absorb it all!

But she soon discovered that her hair was an issue. People kept stepping on it. Aria and Kiku gathered her hair. Looking around, Kiku spied a group of four girls-whose names were Mei, Wendy, Lili, and Michelle- braiding each other's hair. Kiku whistled to get their attention. When they saw Aria's hair, their eyes widened, and they gasped. Kiku leaned against a wall, Maximus standing next to him, as he watched the girls braid Aria's hair. He ducked as some guards passed. When the girls had finished, Aria's hair reached her ankles.

"Thank you." Aria told them as she admired her new braid, which had flowers woven into it. Kiku looked at Aria affectionately. Maximus, who noticed this, nudged him. Kiku and Aria explored the town.

Aria helped a group of children drawn the sun symbol in pastel on the flagstones of the town square. Kiku bought them both cupcakes and ate them as they hid from passing guards and went to the library where Kiku pulled out the latest atlas and any other book that interested Aria.

As they stood, waiting to buy some bread and cheese to eat, Natasha's attention was caught by a group of people, looking at a niche in a wall.

As they stood in line for some bread and cheese, Aria noticed a mosaic of a man and a woman holding a baby. The man had blonde hair and green eyes, while the woman had silver eyes and red-gold hair. They wore crowns on their heads, so Aria guessed that they were King Brannan and Queen Devnet, which made the baby the princess. Underneath the mosaic, there was a small shrine where flowers had been left as offerings. A woman sat with a toddler on her lap while her older daughter placed a flower on the shrine.

"It's for the lost princess." the girl explained to her younger sister. Aria gazed at the mural. There was something familiar about the princess. Then, a group of musicians walked past her.

When Kiku had finished paying for their food, he turned around to see Aria dancing by a group of musicians playing a lively tune. She ran up to a little boy, took his hands and pulled him into a dance to the laughter of his parents. When she got him dancing, she pulled more people into the center of the square and soon it was filled with people dancing. She gestured for him to join the dance but he refused. Maximus pushed Kiku into the crowd, where a woman grabbed him and swept him into the dance. As the dance progressed, Aria and Kiku exchanged partners, moving closer to each other.

Aria and Kiku tried to partner each other, but they were grabbed by other people and whirled away from each other. Aria spun around and around as the music got faster and Kiku managed to pull away from the person who had pulled him away. Just as they managed to make it into each other's arms, the music finished. They stared at each other while everyone clapped and cheered.

"To the boats!" someone yelled.

Kiku rowed away from the pier in the gondola he'd hired, Pascal on his shoulder. He turned around to face Maximus, who was on the pier.

"Hey Max!" Kiku called as he tossed a bag of apples at Maximus, who, Kiku had discovered, really liked apples for some reason. Maximus turned his nose away.

"What? I bought them." Maximus ate two apples. "Most of them." Maximus stopped eating.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked.

"Well, best day of your life? I figured you should have a decent seat." Kiku replied as he set Pascal on the boat. As night fell, Kiku rowed the boat out to the middle of the harbor. Aria sighed.

"You okay?" Kiku asked her.

"I'm terrified." she told him.

"Why?" he asked.

"I've been looking out a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?" she responded.

"It will be." Kiku assured Aria. She sighed again.

"And what if it is? What do I do then?" she asked Kiku.

"Well, that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream." he answered.

Up in the palace, Queen Devnet was straitening the medallion that King Brannan was wearing.

"We'll find her." she told him.

"How do you know?" Brannan asked.

"Something feels different this year." Devnet replied. "Something's going to happen." They walked out onto the balcony, approaching the table where a lantern that was waiting for them. Together, they lifted the lantern, and it rose into as the ribbons securing it fell away. Then, in waves, the people lit their own lanterns in the town square, the streets and on the ships and launched them into the sky.

In the gondola, Kiku had taken some of the flowers from Aria's hair and held them in his hands as she took them, one by one, and laid them on the water. As she was watching them drift away, she saw something reflected in the water. She looked up and saw a single lantern floating above the town.

' _ **All those days watching from the windows. All those years outside looking in. All that time never even knowing just how blind I've been.'**_ She moved to the end of the gondola for a better view as it was joined by others, causing the gondola to rock a little. _**'Now I'm here blinking in the starlight. Now I'm here suddenly I see. Standing here, it's all so clear, I'm where I'm meant to be.'**_ Aria leaned on the front of the gondola as she watched the lanterns.

' _ **And at last I see the light. And it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light. And it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything looks different, now that I see you.'**_ She turned around to look at Kiku, who had two lanterns, one in each hand. Aria sat back down, chuckling softly.

"I have something for you too." she told Kiku. Aria pulled the satchel out from under her seat. "I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?" Aria hoped Kiku understood.

"I'm starting to." he told her, pushing the satchel away. The crown didn't mean much to him anymore. Aria took one of the lanterns and together, they released them.

' _ **All those days chasing down a daydream. All those years living in the blur. All that time never truly seeing things, the way they were.'**_ Their lanterns circled around each other, seeming to dance. _**'Now she's here shining in the starlight. Now she's here suddenly I know.'**_ Kiku smiled as Aria pointed to the lantern that was drifting towards them. It was the King and Queen's lantern. _ **'If she's here, it's crystal clear, I'm where I'm meant to go.'**_ Aria reached over the side of the gondola and lifted the lantern back into the air. Kiku took her hands in his.

 _ **"And at last I see the light."**_ they sang together.

" _ **And it's like the fog has lifted."**_ Kiku continued.

" _ **And at last I see the light."**_ they sang together again.

" _ **And it's like the sky is new."**_ Aria sang.

" _ **And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I see you."**_ Pascal blushed, turning a bright red-violet. _**"Now that I see you."**_ they finished together. Kiku was about to kiss Aria when he saw the Stabbington brothers on the shore.

"Is everything ok?" Aria asked.

"Huh?" Kiku was confused for a moment. "Oh yes." he chuckled nervously. "Yes, of course. I just…" he trailed off.

Kiku dragged the gondola ashore.

"I'm sorry, everything is fine. There's just something I have to take care of." he told Aria as he picked up the satchel.

"Ok." Aria replied.

"I'll be right back." he told her. Kiku then walked away with the satchel. Pascal climbed onto Aria's shoulder.

"It's alright Pascal." Aria told chameleon. She had faith in Kiku. Kiku found the Stabbington brothers. Jacob was sitting on a rock, sharpening a stick with his knife.

"Ah, there you are. Huh. I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated. Hey, the sideburns just coming in nice, huh? Gotta be excited about that" he told Jacob. Kiku cleared his throat. "Anyhow, just wanted to say, I shouldn't have split, the crown is all yours, I'll miss ya, but I think it's for the…" he trailed off as he bumped into Wilhelm. "…best." he finished.

"Holding out on us again, eh, Rider?" Jacob asked, still sharpen the stick.

"What?" Kiku asked, not knowing what Jacob was talking about.

"We heard you found somethin'. Somethin' much more valuable than a crown. We want her, instead." Jacob told Kiku. They were after Aria, Kiku realized. But how did they know?

Aria was by the gondola, waiting for Kiku to come back. Then, she saw the shadowy figure someone approaching. Thinking it was Kiku, Aria heaved a sigh of relief.

"I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." she said. Then the shadowy figure split into the Stabbington brothers.

"He did." Jacob said

"What? No, he wouldn't." Aria didn't believe him.

"See for yourself." Jacob gestured to a sailboat.

"Kiku?" Aria looked closer, and saw that Kiku was steering the ship.

"Kiku!" she called. But he ignored her.

"A fair trade. A crown for the girl with the magic hair." Jacob stated. Aria turned around.

"How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" Jacob asked Aria, before pulling out a large sack.

"No, please…no!" Aria begged. "No!" Aria ran, and the Stabbington brothers chased her with the sack. Her braid got caught on a log. As she tried to free herself, Aria heard thudding noises and grunts from the Stabbington brothers.

"Aria!" Katya called.

"Mother?" Aria, who had freed herself, walked around a large rock. She saw Katya standing over the unconscious Stabbington brothers, panting, and wielding a think stick.

"Oh, my precious girl!" Katya exclaimed as she dropped the stick.

"Mother." Aria ran to Katya, who swept the girl into a hug.

"Are you alright?" She released her grip and held up Aria's chin, checking for any damage. "Are you hurt?" Katya asked.

"Mother, how did you…" Aria began.

"I was so worried about you dear. So I followed you." Katya explained. "And I saw them attack you and…oh my, let's go, let's go before they come to!" Aria looked towards the boat that held Kiku. Tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to Katya, who was holding a lantern. Katya set the lantern down and opened her arms for a hug. Aria ran to her.

"You were right, Mother. You were right about everything." she said, sobbing.

"I know, darling. I know." Katya replied softly. Then she picked up the lantern, and, with one arm around the girl, led Aria back to the tower.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: PLEASE READ! ! !  
**

Devnet is pronounced Dev-nit.

Brannan is pronounced Bran-in.

Éire is pronounced Ay-reh.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hetalia or Tangled.

* * *

Out in the harbor, the boat moved towards the dock, but not because Kiku was steering it. The Stabbingtons had knocked him unconscious and tied him to mast. Kiku was still unconscious when the slammed the boat into the dock. The guards heard the noise and looked to see what it was.

"Look! The crown!" one of the guards said, seeing the crown tied tightly to Kiku's hand. Kiku regained consciousness.

"Aria." he said groggily. He looked around the boat as he became more awake. "Aria!" Kiku was quickly apprehended by the guards. Maximus, still sitting where Aria and Kiku had left him, heard a commotion. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Kiku being arrested.

"No, no, no, no, wait, wait, wait, guys, guys!" Kiku protested. "Aria!" he yelled as he was dragged away. As the guards dragged Kiku off to the palace jail, Maximus looked at the opposite shore, covered in fog. _'Something's wrong. Aria's in trouble.'_ he thought. Maximus went to find help.

Kiku was pacing in his cell, worried about Aria. He turned around as he heard the door to his cell open.

"Let's get this over with, Rider." the captain said.

"Where are we going?" Kiku asked. The captain gave him a stern look. "Oh." Kiku put a hand around his neck as he realized what was going to happen.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the tower, Aria sat on her bed as Katya took the flowers out of her hair, which was no longer braided. She just stared at the floor with her hands folded in her lap, not responding to anything.

"There. It never happened." Katya told Aria as she took out the last flower and put it in a basket. "Now, wash up for dinner. I'm making hazelnut soup." Katya said as she picked up the basket with the flowers and started to leave Aria's room. Aria remained unresponsive. Katya looked back at Aria as she reached the doorway. Seeing that Aria was still unresponsive, she sighed.

"I really did try, Aria. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it." Katya said before closing the thick, red curtains that served as Aria's door. Aria unfolded her hands to reveal the flag that Kiku had bought her, purple, with a gold sun on it. She glanced at Pascal, who turned blue. Aria lay back on her bed and looked at the flag. Then she looked at her painted walls. That sun seemed to be everywhere, showing up in bright spots on the paintings. Aria focused more closely on her handiwork. Éire's sun was hidden throughout her mural. First she noticed it in a flower. Then, it was it was a cluster of animals and leaves, and a blank space between a bush and a tree branch. It was also in a fairy. All these years, without realizing it, Aria had been incorporating the outline of the golden sun into the pictures. She could see them now.

Suddenly, a flood of images filled Aria's head. She saw a mobile with a duckling, a dog, a bluebird, a chameleon, and Cupid hanging above her, and there were two people whose faces she couldn't quite make out. Then she saw the mosaic of the royal family. The King and Queen were holding the lost princess. The Queen and the baby both had silver eyes just like Aria's. Next, Aria saw her reflection in the mirror when she placed the crown on her head. She remembered Kiku saying that the lights were floating lanterns that the kingdom sent up every year on the lost princess birthday- _her_ birthday. Then all the pieces came together, and Aria stumbled backwards into her vanity in shock. She was the lost princess!

* * *

A pair of guards escorted Kiku through the jail. Seeing the Stabbington brothers in a cell of their own, he broke free of the guards and grabbed Jacob by the collar.

How did you know about her? Tell me, now!" Kiku demanded.

"It wasn't us! It was the old lady." Jacob told him.

"Old lady?" Kiku was quickly apprehended by the guards again.

"Wait. No! Wait! You don't understand, she's in trouble! Wait!" Kiku protested as he fought the guards.

"Aria?" Katya called, hearing Aria bump into her vanity. She began climbing the stairs. "Aria, what's going on up there?" Aria sat, panting. She was still reeling from her discovery.

"Are you alright?" Katya called. Aria stepped out of her room, clutching the curtains for support.

"I'm the lost princess." she said softly. Katya sighed.

"Please speak up Aria. You know how I hate the mumbling." Katya said.

"I am the lost princess! Aren't I?" Aria repeated loudly and clearly. "Did I mumble, Mother?" she asked, stepping out of the doorway and letting go of the curtains. "Or should I even call you that?"

"Oh, Aria, do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" Katya asked dismissively.  
She tried to hug Aria, but Aria pushed her away.

"It was you! It was all you!" Aria exclaimed.

"Everything I did was to protect you." Katya told Aria. "Aria!" she exclaimed as Aria pushed past her.

"I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power…" Aria said, descending the stairs.

"Aria!" Katya shouted.

"…when I should have been hiding from you!" Aria turned to look at Katya as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Where will you go?" Katya asked.

In the jail, Kiku continued to fight the guards. Aria was in trouble, and he had to help her.

"He won't be there for you." Katya told Aria. Aria realized that Kiku hadn't betrayed her.

"What did you do to him?" she asked.

"That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes." Katya answered her.

"No." Aria gasped.

"Now, Now. It's all right. Listen to me. All of this is as it should be." Katya told Aria, reaching out to pat Aria's head. Aria grabbed Katya's hand, stopping her.

"No!" Aria exclaimed. "You were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me!" she said adamantly as Katya tried to free her hand. "And I will _never_ let you use my hair again!" Katya pulled her wrist out of Aria's grip so forcefully that she stumbled backwards into the mirror. She panted, looking at the shards of the mirror and then at Aria, who glared at her before turning away.

"You want me to be the bad guy?" she asked quietly. "Fine. Now I'm the bad guy." Katya followed Aria.

* * *

Kiku was still fighting the guards when he noticed a ceramic unicorn in a niche in the wall. They had left the cell area and were in the outer corridors. As they reached the end, suddenly the door ahead of them shut and all the doors to the side of them slammed shut after it.

"Open up!" the captain demanded, banging on the door in front of them. The eye slot opened to reveal Shorty.

"What's the password?" he asked.

"What?" The captain was confused. Shorty chuckled.

"Nope." Shorty shut the eye slot.

"Open this door!" the captain ordered. Shorty opened the eye slot.

"Not even close!" he told the captain before shutting the eye slot again.

"You have three seconds!" the captain told Shorty angrily. "One!" the captain started counting. Behind him, a hook descended from the ceiling and grabbed one of Kiku's guards. Kiku and the other guard looked up at the ceiling.

"Two." A hand came out of a side door and grabbed the other guard.

"Three…" the captained turned around to Kiku standing by himself. "Huh?" now he was really confused. Attila came through the door behind the captain and knocked him out with a frying pan.

"Frying pans! Who knew, right?" Kiku was relieved until the heard a thudding sound. He turned around to see more guards breaking through the door. Kiku and Attila ran through a side door. The three guards chasing them were stopped by Ulf, who was doing a mime act. The guards were just looking at him, wondering why he was doing this. Then Ulf looked to his right. The guards followed his gaze to see Vladimir charging at them. The guards were so terrified that they couldn't move and just screamed their heads off. Vladimir got to them and took them out. Ulf just put on a shocked face as though he had no idea that was what would happen.

Out in the courtyard, dozens of guards ran towards Kiku and Attila, who had been joined by Garret, who placed Kiku on a cart. Then he gave Kiku some instructions.

"Head down."

"Head down" Kiku repeated.

"Arms in."

"Arms in." Kiku brought his arms in.

"Knees apart."

"Knees apart. Knees apart?" Kiku asked. At that moment, Vladimir, who had made his way the upper level, jumped onto the cart.

"Why–why do I need to keep my knees apart…" Kiku screamed as he was sent flying over the heads of the guards. He landed perfectly on a saddled horse. He exhaled. Maximus barked.

"Max. You brought them here?" he asked the dog. Maximus nodded.

"Thank you." Kiku told Maximus sincerely. Maximus barked once. "No, really. Thank you. I feel maybe this whole time, we've just been misunderstanding one another, and we're really just…" Kiku trailed off as Maximus gave him looked that clearly said, "Save Aria now, talk later."

"Yeah, you're right, we should go." Kiku agreed. Three guards burst out of the prison, crossbows trained on Kiku. After making a spectacular jump, they were able to shake the guards. Then, Kiku and Maximus raced for Aria's tower.


End file.
